More foot traffic, not business

AT A PLACE NEAR YOU: A Psyduck, one of hundreds of types of Pokémon, appears in the Providence Arcade. / COURTESY NINTENDO
AT A PLACE NEAR YOU: A Psyduck, one of hundreds of types of Pokémon, appears in the Providence Arcade. / COURTESY NINTENDO

Released in the United States on July 6, Pokémon GO has dominated many people’s smartphone screens and time, with more than 15 million downloads globally. The free app revitalizes the popular Japanese gaming franchise that rose to popularity in the 1990s with its release on Nintendo’s Game Boy.

The new adventure-based app allows players to transform their world into a virtual reality in which the player is an aspiring Pokémon trainer on a quest to capture, train and battle as many creatures as possible. Based on notable real-life landmarks, PokéStops are overlays on existing scenes displayed on a smartphone’s screen where players stop to earn in-app prizes. There is a PokéStop on almost every block in Providence, driving players into downtown businesses on their quest to capture Pokémon.

With several PokéStops, Burnside Park has been a hotspot for Pokémon GO players in the city.

“It’s been fun seeing so many new people discover Burnside Park this past week,” said Cliff Wood, executive director of the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy. “Wednesday night people came into the park looking for Pokémon and stayed to watch ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ ”

- Advertisement -

Across the street at the Providence Biltmore, guest service agent Naomi Marroquin has noticed the influx of players into downtown and the hotel: “Our building is considered a PokéStop, so when people come and play the game, they get prizes from the building. Yesterday during my shift I saw four or five people who weren’t guests stop in here for prizes. It’s definitely driven a lot of people here.”

Jessica Ciccone, senior front desk manager at Johnson & Wales University’s Snowden Hall, has witnessed a surge in the number of people in the school’s quad this summer, which is home to three PokéStops.

“There are businessmen playing in the quad, people who aren’t students here, as well as people from different schools like Brown and RISD. It brings in a lot of people who might normally overlook JWU,” she said.

While the GPS-based game leads players to discover places to catch Pokémon, they aren’t necessarily stimulating the local economy.

“I saw businesspeople playing in line this morning, but I don’t see the game as either good or bad for business,” said Denise Tracy, owner of Marquee Café, which is located next to the PPAC Square PokéStop.

Business owners are left to brainstorm new ways to use the app to their advantage. Scott McCullough, owner of Symposium Books on Westminster Street downtown, said he is considering offering some sort of discount or promotion for game players.

The Pawtucket Red Sox took advantage of the craze this weekend, inviting players into McCoy Stadium and onto the field to play.

PawSox senior vice president and general manager Dan Rea noted that, “McCoy Stadium is loaded with all kinds of Pokemon.” •

No posts to display